Bordeaux river cruise like visiting Wine Country away from home

The boat rocked gently, swaying softly like a cradle and humming a whoosh-whoosh-whoosh lullaby as it glided over the Garonne River through Bordeaux. We had left our west bank port at midnight, just south of the Pont Jacque Chaban Delmas bridge, and by 3:45 a.m., we would be arriving in Cadillac, at the Rue du Port 25 miles south.

I'd been to the French region just three years ago, and toured several of the same areas slated for this adventure: Bordeaux city, Pauillac, Médoc, and Saint Emilion. It was a marvelous time, tasting at grand winery châteaux, exploring centuries-old castles and dining on foie gras, escargot and other micro-regional specialties at charming restaurants.

It was also a bit exhausting, though, traveling by tram, car, boat and foot, changing hotels several times and periodically getting lost along the 160-or-so mile round trip skirting the river front.

Now, as I slumbered in my luxury stateroom on the AmaDolce, the ship captain was delivering me –– and all my luggage –– almost directly to our next stop, the 16th Century Duke of Eperon castle. With just 73 staterooms and three suites, the 360-foot-long river cruiser could tuck into tiny docking ports all up and down the famous Left and Right banks.

So after I woke, I would walk mere steps to the on-board restaurant for a breakfast of fresh baked croissants, local cheeses and smoked salmon. I would peruse the day's tour offerings - a guided stroll through the Bastide town of Cadillac at the edge of our gangplank, perhaps, or a chauffeured excursion to the 11th Century feudal Roquetaillade Castle and the white wine region of Sauternes. Or, I might spend a day wandering on my own, riding a bicycle borrowed from the ship.

And that evening, I would settle in the ship's lounge for a guided wine tasting, since my week-long AmaWaterways adventure was a wine themed cruise, and all such voyages feature an on-board wine expert.

Yet instead of Bordeaux wines, I would sample Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Claret, all from Napa Valley. Because in an interesting twist, all European AmaWaterways voyages feature American winemakers, drawn from across California, Oregon, and lesser known wine regions like Virginia and Arizona.

For this experience, Bell Wine Cellars winemaker Anthony Bell and his wife and company marketing director Sandra Bell were bringing a taste of their Yountville winery as they led several wine lectures, and a special dinner showcasing their California wines.

I live in Sonoma County. But if traveling 5,647 miles to Europe to taste wines I could find in my own backyard seems odd, then I was among plenty of oddballs on board. Nearly a third of the other 120 fellow passengers were members of Bell's wine club, it turned out.

The idea, according to Anthony Bell, is to keep the trips as accessible as possible for wine lovers of all experience levels, while opening up a global view. He had seen the approach succeed on his first cruise in 2010, along the Rhône River with 20 wine club members.

“Many of the guests on the trips are Americans, and I feel, as an American winemaker, that allows me to communicate from a common point of reference,” he explained.

Showcasing both European and American winemakers also adds to the educational aspect, AmaWaterways president and co-founder Rudi Schreiner told me.

“Our guests visit vineyards and wineries where the owners or experts explain their wines and the fascinating history behind them,” he said. “But one very important aspect of our wine cruises is having a knowledgeable wine host from North America who can highlight the different aspects of New World wines in comparison to Old World European wines.”

So it's true that I was most keen about exploring local Cabernet Sauvignons during our visit to Haut-Médoc, and local Merlot as we toured the Pomerol region. And on-board, I focused on the ship's extensive list of French wines offered with my dinners of foie gras with red currant chutney and duck a l'orange atop red cabbage strudel.

Still, it was interesting to hear the Bells discuss how Napa Valley terroir compares to France, and, essentially, have a personal sommelier with us to flesh out more elaborate experiences like sampling many beautiful Grand Cru Classé red wines in the stunning new sci-fi modern tasting room at Château Gruaud-Larose winery in the Saint-Julien appellation.

“Elegance and balance through fruit, acid, tannins and oak are the key,” he said of the Old World style, and the style he seeks for his own wines.

As I chatted in the lounge one evening with fellow passengers and Bell Cellars wine club members Bob and Sandra Larrabee of San Jose, they said the ship offered an easy way to jump into their first trip to Bordeaux, while learning more about global wines.

“The Bells' wine lectures and our ability to be up close and personal with them is not only informative and enjoyable, but also appropriate for a barge featuring fine cuisine and wine,” Bob Larrabee said. The couple found particular interest in the compare-and-contrast tasting the Bells held on-board, featuring several Bordeaux Sauvignon Blancs lined up against the Bell's own Valley Sauvignon Blancs, with some wines fermented in stainless steel tanks and others in French oak barrels.

Wine themed or not, I soon discovered that one of the joys of traveling via river cruise is the blissful laziness of it all. Arriving in a new port each day, I had merely to pick an outing – in groups usually limited to about ten guests instead of what I had worried might be a cattle call – and find myself on strolling through Pauillac vineyards, past draft horses curiously studying us, and cooing at what our small group finally decided was a muskrat – not a marmot - busily digging in the weeds.

We took photos of Pauillac's famed Château Mouton Rothschild and its glorious flower and stone statue gardens, enjoyed a private wine tasting at Libourne's magnificent Château de Montaigne with its 14th Century tower, and browsed the many shops and wine salons of the 8th Century Saint-Émilion commune UNESCO World Heritage Site with its Romanesque churches and underground galleries carved into limestone hills.

Still, one of the best experiences came from what makes even a structured vacation such a joy: a surprise. As I lingered over a white asparagus omelet one morning, one of my fellow passengers and newly made friend sent me a text, nearly demanding I join her at the Le Printemps des Vins de Blaye (Blaye Spring Wine Festival) she'd just stumbled across. It was being held at the 17th Century Blaye Citadel and gothic Château overlooking the very river where we'd docked.

I mentioned my destination to a ship staffer as I headed toward the gangplank, and voila, she rummaged behind her desk, and handed me a complimentary admission pass plus a wine glass held in an easy-carry pouch. The farmers' market, art and wine festival wasn't really promoted as an AmaDolce tour, she said, but the crew had secured passes as an extra convenience for us.

What a brilliant several hours, sampling among 80 regional winemakers at booths showcasing their superb wines and purchasing favorites at the crazy low prices of the area. The treasures were endless - a Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux Château Camille Gaucheraud Blanc 2015 (about $7.25 USD), a Château Grillet Beauséjour N°2 Rouge 2014 ($8.95) and a gorgeous Chateau l'Esperance Rosé 2016 that was only $8 and now makes me wish I'd lugged several cases home instead of just packing two bottles in my suitcase.

Or better yet, I should have just embraced my new, kickback river cruise way of traveling, and asked the ship's concierge to ship the wine for me.

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Carey Sweet is a Sebastopol-based food and restaurant writer. Read her restaurant reviews every other week in Sonoma Life. Constact her at carey@careysweet.com.